Final Word: Compromise coming on background checks for guns?

Is there a compromise in sight when it comes to background checks for gun purchasers in the U.S.?

A bipartisan bill looks like it may have promise and these days, any sign of a possible Congressional compromise on ANYTHING is worthy of celebration.

Gun control opponents will point to Tuesday’s stabbing at a Texas college and say, “See? Knives kill people too.”

Well, true, but not nearly as effectively. Or quickly. Or in such great numbers. Or by accident.

I could go on, but shouldn’t there be some way to at least try to make sure that someone like James Holmes can’t tell his psychiatrist he wants to commit a mass murder and then go out and buy the guns and ammo to do it?

New presidential budget

The president’s budget is out.

It’s trillions of dollars of course and includes tax hikes on the rich. I thought we already DID that.

But it also includes — as a way to pay for the early childhood education the president called for — a hike in the tax on a pack of cigarettes. I am all for taxing cigarettes, especially if it means we start educating our kids better and earlier.

But my fear here is that, because fewer people are smoking, this revenue stream will continue to die. If we can’t sustain it, we can’t continue to pay for the preschool. We will become dependent on something that, like social security, will become unsustainable. Soon.

Let’s agree its important and find a permanent revneue stream. Look at a country like Japan, where 3-year-olds wear a uniform and ride a bus to excellent schools as a part of their childhood.

See how well that works out for them?

Official start to snake season in Arizona

The Arizona Republic reported Wednesday that the real desert summer is officially here.

Snakes!

Seven rattlesnake bites in the last seven days according to the report, and if you live in the high desert, away from the big city, you probably already know this. Maybe you’ve had a snake in your yard, garage, or (eeks) house already.

I don’t envy you at all. Although, I would trade you your snake for a scorpion, also a sign of the high temperatures to come but they are smaller and, therefore, sneakier.